Turtle Experts Insist on Closure of Cayman Turtle Farm

An international team of researchers conducted an investigation at the Cayman turtle farm located in the Cayman Islands and concluded that the turtle farm should be closed down as it lacks the amenities to fulfill the welfare needs of the animals.

Dr. Philip Arena, an expert on amphibians and reptiles from Murdoch University, along with the other scientists, worked at the Emergent Disease Foundation in the U.K. and demand the farm's closure, as it is a menace to the conservation efforts of wild turtles.

The World Society for Protection of Animals (WSPA) provided some video footage that was unpleasant, as it revealed cannibalism among turtles, poor diet, improper handling of animals by visitors, defects in birth and many more.

"One of the turtles I assessed, a Kemps Ridley sea turtle which is the rarest species of turtle in the world, was kept in such poor conditions that it was clearly dying a slow death," Dr. Arena said in a press release. "I found evidence of limb trauma, vitamin deficiency and disease, the tank water was turbid and the turtle's shell was blanketed in an unnaturally thick layer of algae."

Established in 1968, this farm fails to be an efficient evidence of good science. The officials produced an incorrect figure of the number of turtles that are being released. Infact, no turtles should be released into the wild, as the there are higher risks of them infecting the population present in the wild.

The team of researchers who conducted the research insist that the farm should be converted into a research and education facility that focuses on protecting the turtles present in the region.